I feel like the most significant thing I learned from this class is that there are not only two sides to the conflict: it is not a black and white argument, Israel versus Palestine. There are so many different groups involved, whether political, ethnic, religious, and so on. In the past in thinking about this conflict, in my mind it was simply the oppressors versus the oppressed. And in this way my position has changed dramatically because I now feel that I am beginning to understand the various underlying actors and networks that are all shaping the realities of the conflict in their own ways. Both Israelis and Palestinians, Muslims and Jews have all had their share of injustices from an outside party: there is no single group in the wrong or in the right. I think this is the key thing that needs to be understood in moving beyond the two-party rivalry of the conflict, and into action and compromise.
With that said, my position has also strengthened because I am still more sympathetic towards one party versus the other. I find it hard not to sympathize with those people of lower economic and living standards, and who have been suffering from the consequences of land dispossession for decades. This is just my opinion, and I am sure my personal and academic background makes me slightly biased towards this. However I think the most important thing is that I am now able to view this conflict through multiple "sides" / multiple parties: I truly do see the injustices and human rights violations that have been committed across the board, which many people are never able to do (I know this from personal experience, as I'm sure many of you do). Over all, this class has been a huge eye-opener in exposing me to so many different pieces of the Jerusalem puzzle that I never even knew existed, and for that I am very grateful.
With that said, my position has also strengthened because I am still more sympathetic towards one party versus the other. I find it hard not to sympathize with those people of lower economic and living standards, and who have been suffering from the consequences of land dispossession for decades. This is just my opinion, and I am sure my personal and academic background makes me slightly biased towards this. However I think the most important thing is that I am now able to view this conflict through multiple "sides" / multiple parties: I truly do see the injustices and human rights violations that have been committed across the board, which many people are never able to do (I know this from personal experience, as I'm sure many of you do). Over all, this class has been a huge eye-opener in exposing me to so many different pieces of the Jerusalem puzzle that I never even knew existed, and for that I am very grateful.
For me too I feel that it is so important that my position has strengthened. The fact that you called this class an "eye-opener" and described Jerusalem as a big puzzle is brilliant. That basically sums up the conflict and how this class tries to view that conflict though many different vehicles.
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